


Autumn Melange

by Rumoris



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, No Metaverse, a coffee drabble for coffee day!, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 14:57:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12235197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rumoris/pseuds/Rumoris
Summary: You can't expect the world to work in your favour, especially when you're living the life of a dull and boring grey mouse. Or at least that's what Akechi Goro thought...





	Autumn Melange

            At first glance, Café Leblanc was no different from any small café, safe for its focus on staying rustic. Goro would’ve probably written it off as a place not worthy of his time and money, when there were more interesting thematic cafés just few stops away from Yongen. However, the articles about the exceptionally creative barista piqued his interest.  He simply couldn’t imagine a creative coffee safe for those artistic ones filled with artificial food colourings.

            But the moment he stepped into Leblanc the article appeared at the back of his mind, its hints, the descriptions, the atmosphere… everything made sense. Even the barista followed the article pretty well (or the article managed to catch that certain personality) until he opened his mouth breaking Goro out of the coffee scented dream.

“Welcome to Leblanc! Get ready to have your heart stolen!” he winked at Goro.  

“I’d rather not.”

 

            However, despite the barista’s direct style, the coffee was delicious. Almost heavenly. So Goro ended up visiting them frequently, putting his initial plan of mapping the best cafés around Tokyo on hold. He found himself talking to Akira more and the barista slowly but surely grew on him to the point when he wanted to see him more, than to drink coffee.  This terrified Goro.

            He had to laugh at that. Because for the first time he met a person who didn’t think of him as an idol, the holy embodiment of detective fantasies numbed his senses and struck fear into his heart. He was not used to this whole honesty business. Goro was an expert at faking, giving false smiles and lying through his teeth but Akira dragged out honesty without ever forcing him to change.

           

            That’s why the more he talked, the more he felt at loss. That trickster challenged him, joked with him and introduced new colours into his dull life. Any normal person would confess whatever was eating at him, but not Goro. He tried to halt his feelings and pretended to be indifferent toward Akira.

“Is everything all right?” the barista asked on an autumn afternoon. “Lately you look a little bit… How could I say… colourless.”

            Goro absentmindedly looked up from his coffee. The smell of the fallen leaves, mixed well with the scent of his drink and made his thoughts wander a little bit.

“Really? I haven’t noticed anything. Maybe it’s just your imagination. You’ve been practicing for that barista contest for two months now, after all.”

            At this Akira furrowed his brow.

“Don’t make it sound like it’s about me.”

“Then I won’t.” he sipped on his coffee in answer.

“Goro, you can tell me. Did something happen?”

“Not really. I’m just facing a problem and I have no idea how to tackle it. It’s nothing unusual.”

            Akira perked up from his mug, carefully measuring up the situation.

“Is it school related? Work related or heart related?” he threw the question toward Goro, who only smiled ruefully. “Wait. Wait! Detective, are you in love?”

 “I’ve never been in love before, so I can’t say. It might be just an extremely strong friendship.”

“Extremely strong friendships won’t make you grey and all doom and gloom. Why would you feel bad if you knew that you share a really strong mutual friendship?”

            Goro mumbled something into his coffee and finished the cup. Akira only stood there, trying to understand the situation while various emotions flickered through his eyes as he got lost in his own thoughts, tracing back the reasons for Goro’s strange behaviour. It started when they talked about his ex, and Goro lost some of his previous vigor. Oh. Oh!

 In the end all he could say was:

“Do you want to see the latte art I’ve been practicing? It’s on the house.”

            Goro blinked a few times, but still agreed. “Sure. Though, I think those foam polar bears would be good enough for the contest.”

            Akira hummed as he got to work. Carefully pouring the espresso from the old machine, mixing it, before trying to convey what he really wanted to say.

            When the coffee was ready, he slipped it toward Goro, eagerly waiting for a reaction. the boy looked at it, tried to spun the cup in order to decipher some other meaning, in case he misread it o Akira made a mistake. Probably yes, and the thought made his eyes sting.

“Is this how you are trying to impress the jury?” he tried to blink away the tears.

“Kind of…  It’s how I’m trying to impress the jury in front of me.” Akira laughed, twirling his bangs between his fingers as a slight blush crept to his face. “How would you rate it?”

“…”

“I wanted to add ‘Would you go out with me?’ but it didn’t fit into a single cup. Really, you shouldn’t make me pour more coffee for you only to get a message across… I mean, I’m not sure who made you sad but…”

            _It’s you, you idiot._ Did he play dumb or just played around? Goro never knew when it came to Akira.

“Then why don’t you just ask me directly?” Goro asked, almost as if he was still waiting for some kind of clarification. He couldn’t believe that Lady Fortuna would smile at him. To his surprise Akira only smiled leaning closer through the counter.

“Then, Akechi Goro, I want you to know, whenever you appear on that very chair you bring out the very best of me and that honest smile of your makes my heart beat faster, which is unhealthy on the long run, by the way.” Akira’s smile turned smug when he saw Goro getting redder by each passing moment, awkwardly stirring his coffee.  He couldn’t deny that the cheesy words made him feel happy. “You are the cream in my coffee, so would you please go out with me?”

            Akira stood there his face inches away from Goro’s.

“Isn’t this what you wanted to hear?”

“A… shorther version would’ve been enough…” after his initial embarrassment Goro tried to hold back a chuckle at the ridiculous and sugar sweet confession.

“I like you a _latte_?” Akira winked at him.

“This is even worse. I can’t believe you are considered to be a creative barista.”

“But you will still go out with me, right? It’s the national coffee day today, after all! You can’t say no to a barista on this day. It’s against the rules!”

            Goro sat in silence, beaming before answered Akira’s question in the most serious way he could in an impossible situation like this.

“Is that a promise to never forget about our anniversary?”

            At this Akira laughed his glasses slipping down his nose, when he finished he looked up, confidence appearing beneath his trickster mask, meeting Goro in the eye. “That’s one way of saying it.”

**Author's Note:**

> While writing this drabble I managed to drink at least 4 mugs of black tea, and one mug of coffee, but I really wanted to write something light hearted and fluffy for this ship on the International Coffee Day (Sept 29) and on Japanese National Coffee Day (Oct 1)


End file.
